Top construction



April 13 1926.

J. H. BOURGON TOP, CONSTRUCTION Fil N V- 4, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .11! In n I;

INVENTOR dost-PH H. 50UEGO/Y ATTORNEY April 13 1926. 1,580,280

J. -H. BOLJRGON TOP CONSTRUCTION I F'ile d Novu4, 1924 '2 s sh t 2 ATTORNEY 6 Patented Apr. 13, 1926. I

JOSEPH H. BoUnGoN,

IPORATION, OF SOUTH INDIANA, ANDDETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

f'ror coNs'rnUoTIoN.

Application filed November 4, 1924. Serial No. 74?,847.

To allwkomz'tmag concern: 1

Be it known that I, Josnrn H. BoUneoN, a subject of George V, King of Great Britain and Ireland, and resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Top Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicle top constructions, and particularly to tops for open types of automobiles provided with side enclosures movable vertically into the top when placing them in inoperative position, and is particularlyapplicable to open type tops provided'with roller curtains, such as is described in my previous application filed July 9, 1'924, Seria1 No. 725,062.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile top of the open type construction with top supports which are securedt-hereto, in such a manner that the whole structure forms a single unit attachable to the automobile as such} Another objectis to providea top support with groovesfor guiding the adjacent edge of the adjacent curtain when it is raised or lowered and for retaining it in such lowered position. 7 1

A further object is to provide an automobile top support formed from sheet metal into substantially a trough-shaped section,

the free edges of the metal being bent and shaped insuch a manner as to form a substantially T-shaped trough or groove in the rear face thereof, for receiving and guiding the edge of the adjacent'fcurtain when it is being raised or lowered,and for retaining it in such lowered position.

A still further ob3ect is to provide the 6 top support with reinforcements or stiffen" ing members to give a more rigidstructure.

base of the support shown 1n Figure 2.

Still another objectis to provide the front top supports with means for secur ng the windshield and rainshieldquadrants thereto.

The above being among the objects .of the present invention the same consists of certain features of construction and combination of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

and then claimed, having] the above and other obiects 1n v1ew.

In the accompanying drawings which il lustratea suitable embodiment of the present-invention and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several vlews,

Figure 1 1s a fragmentary perspective. view showing the location of the right front top support 111 respect to t-hetop and the aut omobile body, also showing the windshield or 15122930102, MICHIGAN, AssIGNoR To THE'STUDEBAKER COR- 7 and rainshield quadrant attached thereto,

and a portion of the adjacent curtain in a partly lowered position.

Figure 2 1s a side view of the right front support,a portion being broken away to show the tapping block at the point of. attachment of the windshield and rainshield quadrant. i

, igure 2) is a fragmentary perspective view showing the method of securingthe top support to-the front top cross member. Figure 4: is a fragmentary vertical'sectional view taken through the left top support base showing the method of securing the.

support to the automobile body. p

Figure 5 is a broken "perspective view showing the position of the left front curtain in the left front top support.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional "view of one of the front top'supports and co-op Lerating curtain, taken in a plane perpendicular to the length of the support at 'a' point correspondingto the broken end of the support shown in Figure 5, and showing the means employed to prevent the curtain from drawing out of the groove in the support.

Figure 7 is a plan View of the top of the supportshown inFigure 2.

Figure 8 1s a section of the support taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 2.

on the line'9-9-of Figure '2.

Figure 1Q is'aplan viewof the face of the each side-of the automobile body 22 by a tops'upport 23 positionedat the extreme front end of the top 20, which subsequently carries a small Figure 9-is a section of the support taken Lmemben'suc'h as 21, and is' supported on I ortion of the weight of the top but primarily acts to steady the front therefor and-to guidethe adjacent curtain curtain 24.

24 as will be described later. The rear portion of the top 20 may be supported in any manner found suitable, but supports therefor are preferably rigidly secured to the top 20 so that the top 20 and supports 23 form a single unit that may be attached to the body 22 as such.

Each support 23 is constructed mainly of sheet metal suitably reinforced, and is flared outwardly towardseach of the attaching surfaces. As clearly shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, the sheet metal is shaped to a substantially troughlike section 25, the bottom of the trough being at the front of the support 23, the free edges being bent inwardly towards each other at substantially 90 degree angles to form the flat rear face of the sup port 23, and then bent inwardly towards the front of the support leaving an opening 26 in the rear face, and lastly formed to a rectangular shaped section or groove 2? within the first formed trough-like structure 25, which process of sha 'iing of the free ends of the metal forms a substantially T-shapcd groove, whereby to receive the edge of the Buttons 28, secured at spaced intervals to that edge of the curtain 2 L lying within the groove 27, are of a thickness greater than the width of the opening 26 and prevent the curtain 24 from pulling out of the groove 27, the curtain 24 having a plurality of buttons 28 secured thereto, and positioned within the T-shaped groove as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6. A. curved lip 47 is formed in the sheet metal at the top of the support at one side of the T-shaped groove for guiding the curtain 24 into said T-shaped groove.

The top support 23 is secured to the body 22 at the edge of the cowl by bolts 29 which pass tlirough the body brace 30 (see F igure 4:) and the shroud bracket 31 and thread into openings 32 provided in the top support reinforcement or anchoring member 33, the openings 32 being more clearly shown in Figure 10. The metal of the top support .43 is formed around the edges of the anchoring member 33 and is welded thereto as shown in Figures 4 and 10.

As the top supports and the top 20 form a unit, the supports 23 are first assembled to the top 20 and the unit is assembled to the body 22 as such and if no other means were employed, it would be necessary to have a person remain on each side of the body 22 to support and guide the top while the bolts 29 were being threaded into their respective openings 32 in the anchoring member 33, but to eliminate this work and to eliminate the time and effort involved in centering the threaded openings 32 over the corresponding openings in the shroud bracket 31 and body brace 30 a dowel pin 3 is anchored in the shroud bracket 31 which, when the top 20 is being positioned on the mobile having a vertically movable side body 22, extends up into an opening 35 provided in the anchoring member 33 and cen ters the openings 32 over the corresponding openings in the shroud bracket 31 and body brace 30, whereby the bolts 29 may be easily threaded into their respective openings The support 23 is provided at its upper end with an apertured offset member or ear 36 formed therefrom or welded thereto and is secured to the angle 37 which acts to tie the front cross member 21 and the top side quarters together, by means of a bolt 38 which passes through the angle 37 and ear 36 on to which is threaded a nut (not shown).

As shown in Figure 1, the rainshield 39 and windshield 40, being hingedly mounted by suitable means on the front cross member 21, are adjustably positioned on a quadrant 41 which is secured to the flat surface 42 on said support 23, by means of screws 43 that thread into openings el l provided in a tapping block 45, which is welded to the inside of the support 23 just back of the fiat surface 42.

A reinforcii'ig member is is positioned in the trough-like section 25 directly back of the front of the support and at a pointdirectly above the anchoring member 33 and is welded to both the anchoring member and the support 23, the purpose being to provide means to absorb the bending strains whichare created by the weaving of the top 20 and are more evident at that point.

It will be evident that the construction described provides a simple, inexpensive yet strong support and readily adapts itself to tops of the permanent type using curtains which slide vertically up and down, and a support which does not materially obstruct the view of the occupants of the automobile.

Formal changes may be made in the specitic embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit and sub-- stance of the broad invention the scope of which .is commensurate with the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. In combination with an automobile top having a vertical movable side enclosure, of a top support formed of sheet metal into a substantially trough-shaped section for receiving and guiding the adjacent edge of said enclosure, the free of said sup port entirely forming said trough-shaped section and being concealed by the outer walls of said support.

2. In combination with a top for an autoenclosure, of a top support formed of sheet metal into a substantially trough shaped section the free edges ofwhich are shaped to form a substantially T shaped groove in cross section within said trouglrshaped sec tion for receiving and guiding the adjacent in said support.

edge of said enclosure, and the lower end of said support being flared outwardly to provide an enlarged attaching surface.

3. In combination with a top for an automobile having vertically movable side enclosures, of top supports formed of sheet,

metal into a substantially trough shaped section the free edges of which are shaped to form a substantially T-shaped groove in cross section within said trough-shaped section for receiving and guiding the adjacent edges of said enclosures, said supports being flared outwardly at their ends, and means for securing said supports in operative positrons. V

4. In combination with a top for an automobile having vertically movable side enclosures, of top supports formed of sheet metal 'into a substantially trough-shaped section of top supports formedxof sheet metal into a substantially trou'ghshaped section, the free edges of which are shaped to form a substantially T-s'haped groove in cross sec-e tion within said trough-shaped section for receiving and guiding the adjacent edges of said enclosures, said supports having their upper ends flared outwardly to provide means for securing said top to said automobile and having an upwardly projecting lip for guiding the. adjacent edges of said enclosures into said T-shaped grooves.

6. In comb-inationwith a top for an automobile having a vertically movable side enclosure providedwith buttons secured at spaced intervals to the edge thereof, of a top support formed from sheet metal to a substantially trough-shaped section, the free ends of which are bent. inwardly towards each other, and then bent forwardly parallel to each other towards the front of saidfsupportto form a guide of less width than the thickness of said buttons, and lastly enlarged to arectangularshaped section of sufficient width toreceive said buttons, whereby the edge of said enclosure will be retained with- 7. A top support for vehicles formed from sheet metal, the free edges of the metal being bent to form a slot within the outer walls of said support, said slot being T-shaped in cross section and the free edges of the metalbeingconcealed by the outer Walls of said support.

8. In combination with an automobile body having an attaching surface provided with a plurality of openings and an upwardly projecting dowel pin, a plurality of bolts adapted to extend through said openings, a support formed from sheet metal to a substantially trough-shaped section and havinga T-shaped groove in cross section formed within. said trough-shaped section by 'thefree edges of the metalof said support,

and a reinforcing member positioned in the 1 base of said support having the-bottom edges of the metal bent therearound and secured thereto, said reinforcing member having threaded openings therein into which said bolts are threaded for securing said support to said automobile body, and having an' opening therein for receiving said dowel pin whereby said threaded openings maybe brought into matching relation with said openings in said surface. v I

9. In an automobile top support formed from sheet metal to a substantially troughshaped section and having a T-shaped groove in cross section formed within said trough-shaped section by the free edges thereof, a reinforcing anchoring member at the b'aseof said support having the bottom edge of the metal of said support bent therearound and secured thereto, and a reinforcing member positioned within said troughshaped section and extending upwardly fromfsaid anchoring member, said reinforcing member being secured toboth said an choring member and said support to absorb the bending strain created by the. weaving of the automobile top.

p 10. In combination with an automobile having a top and a vertically movable enclosure provided with protuberances along an edge thereof, of means for supporting said top on said automobile comprising a post formed from sheet metal into a substantially trough-shaped section, the free edges of which are bent to form a T shaped slot in cross section lying within said troughshaped section, the leg of the T opening on to the face thereof to receive and guide anedge' of said enclosure'and of less width'tha-n the thickness of said protuberances which have sliding engagement within the head of the T thereby to prevent disengagement of the edge of said euclosure and said slot.

Signed by me at Detroit, lllichigan, S. A., this 31st day of October, 1924:.

JOSEPH H. BOURGON. 

